Since 1965, when the country's pioneering Good Samaritan statute was enacted in California, approximately 100 persons have received compensation from the State for injuries or earning losses suffered while coming to the aid of others. By the end of the research period, this figure should reach approximately 125 persons. We propose interviewing these Good Samaritans, as well as other individuals involved in each of the episodes. We will describe them both in terms of their social and their psychological characteristics, and compare them with a group of their closest neighbors (who are the same sex and ethnic background and about the same age). We propose submitting the Good Samaritans to additional tests of their altruism (such as whether or not they return a "lost letter"). The material obtained will be used to critique and refine the rather large body of experimental literature on bystander intervention in simulated emergencies. It will also be examined in terms of legal approaches to the provision of aid to persons in need.